The Secret Garden
by not-so-dumb-blonde
Summary: Jackie finds herself in New Jersey for the summer, and the gang go to visit her for a week due to her outlandish plan to win Hyde back! Plot ensues.
1. Ain't No Mountain High Enough

  


Like sands through the hourglass, these are the days of our lives. This oh too familiar line had seemed to map out Jackie's entire summer, and she didn't need anyone plotting the points for her either. Like Hope and Lucky from her favorite soap, the burlesque show that was her life had become more than just parallel lines on a four- quadrant graph fitting together to create the exact slope of her childhood. The equation had always been the same, but as soon as she let herself have a slope of zero or one that was undefined, chaos took over. That chaos, more appropriately named Steven Hyde, caused her to change and change for the better. She liked the new Jackie, but again like Hope and Lucky, the z factor got in the way causing the usual to become unusual. Now, as she returned to her old ways after removing herself from the horridness that was her life in Point Place, she didn't like it. The only factor keeping her from returning to that certain chaos that she loved so much was that she had yet to forgive him and was going to try anything and everything in her power to trick herself into believing that she had forgiven him once and for all. 

  


The sun shown brightly through the windows of the old, antebellum home in northwest New Jersey. Jackie Burkhardt sat on the window seat with coffee in hand looking out onto the beautiful ocean. After an upsetting month of may, she decided to retreat to New England with a long time country club member and friend. It was now June, and the tourists were flocking to the historical site of Sea Side Heights. Victoria's parents were in the Swiss Alps for their summer ski trip, and she invited Jackie to stay in their vacation house for the summer. She eagerly accepted the offer, and left almost immediately after Red was safe on an IV in the hospital. She left her faithful admirers to their own accord, and the only one who was told of her leaving was Donna through a note left in the red-head's bedroom. Now as the sun rose over the clouds, Jackie realized it was time to come home because she missed it too much. 

  


" What are you doing up?" asked the puzzled blonde walking down the stairs. 

  


" I didn't mean to wake you. I was just thinking." Jackie replied pulling her body into a fetal position on the couch. 

  


" About Wisconsin?" Victoria answered, pulling the pink curlers from her head. 

  


" Yeah. I miss my friends, Vic," Jackie whined, taking a sip of her cappuccino. 

  


The blonde then preceded to collapse on the sofa next to her friend and pull her leg Indian-style and flopped the curlers on the coffee table. 

  


" I know you miss them. So, why don't you invite them to come and visit?" Victoria suggested, flipping the dial on the radio that rested on the end table next to the recliner. It landed on a station playing Simon and Garfunkel's "Sound of Silence." 

  


" Seriously?" Jackie's big, doe eyes lit up with excitement. 

  


" Yeah. Seems like I'll like these people anyway," she picked up the umber-colored phone and put it in Jackie's lap, " call them." 

  


Jackie then picked up the ear piece and began to dial the Foreman's number she knew by heart. 

  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


The five, restless teenagers sat in the basement bored almost to death. Fez was whining because his 'wife' had told him that she was a one time deal. Kelso was playing with a yo-yo that every time he would do Jacop's ladder it would tie in a knot. Eric and Donna were watching a Humphrey Bogart movie which they soon figured out to be Casablanca, and Hyde was trying to watch the movie with them but was distracted by something else. A five foot five, brunette with pink toenails something else. 

  


" A franc for your thoughts." she asked him, flipping a coin. 

  


" In America they'd bring only a penny. I guess that's about all they're worth." 

  


" I'm willing to be overcharged. Tell me." 

  


" And I was wondering." 

  


" Yes?" 

  


" Why I'm so lucky. Why I should find you waiting for me to come along." 

  


" Why there is no other man in my life?" 

  


" Uh huh." 

  


" That's easy. There was. He's dead." 

  


" I'm sorry for asking. I forgot we said 'no questions.'"

  


" Well only one answer can take care of all our questions." 

  


The five card-carrying members of the basement watched Rick and Ilsa kiss on the screen. Donna brought the tissue up to her eyes as the tears of joy drifted down her skin. Fez and Kelso had stopped their imbecilic behavior and watched the movie. They were crying too. Hyde just watched the movie in a stoic facade along with his best friend. 

  


" I love this movie!" Donna exclaimed still bawling into Eric's shirt sleeve. 

  


" Romance sucks." Hyde replied without reverting his eyes from the television and of Humphrey Bogart and Ingred Bergman kissing. 

  


" Hyde, you're just saying that because Jackie ran off to New England without telling you. You've been sulking all freaking summer, man. You gotta get out. Do something bad. You something Hyde-like." Eric suggested. 

  


" Foreman, you think I'm depressing? How about last summer? You wouldn't even take a shower for God's sakes! Nothing like the mixture of body odor and whiskey to make the perfect cologne, eh Foreman?" 

  


" Shut-up." Eric replied defeated. 

  


Then, Kitty Foreman wandered down the basement stairs to inform Donna that she had a phone call. 

  


" Oh, Casablanca! I love this movie. When Humphrey Bogart told Ingred Bergman, 'Here's looking at you, kid' I just completely melted. Red and I went to see it in the theater in 1946. It was almost like yesterday. Anyway, Donna, sweetheart, someone is on the phone for you. I didn't ask who it was, but the voice sound really familiar. Kinda squeaky." 

  


Hyde bolted up from his reverie at the thought of that. 

  


" Thanks, Mrs. Foreman. I really appreciate it." 

  


The red-head got up from the sofa and followed the bouncy blonde up the staircase and into the kitchen. She picked up the green earpiece from the wall and answered. 

  


" Hello?" 

  


" Donna!" Jackie exclaimed. 

  


" Jackie? Where are you?" she replied slightly shocked at the voice at the end of the other line. 

  


" I'm in New Jersey. It' s beautiful here, but I miss you and the guys and Steven. I love Vicky, but I'm lonely. I want you guys to come up for a week or two, and I might go home with you if everything goes according to plan."the brunette explained. 

  


" According to plan? What are you cooking up, Jackie? I know you, and you aren't exactly known for your straight forwardness. You do have the propensity to be very sneaky." 

  


" Donna, how could you think such a thing? I just miss you! Is it a crime to miss my very best friends whom I've been away from for almost the entire summer?" Jackie was feigning innocense. 

  


" It's only June, and you and Eric hate each other, Kelso is a lying, cheating dog; your words not mine, Fez tries to feel you up every chance he gets, and Hyde, well, you're in love with Hyde. You've got some sort of ridiculous plan to win Hyde back. I just know it." the red-head reasoned, twirling the spiral phone cord around her finger. 

  


" Fine. Whatever, Donna. Still, I want you guys to come up to New Jersey and visit. One week of unsupervised, naughty, bad fun. The guys will love it. Especially Steven. What do you say?" Jackie pleaded. 

  


" I say, Road Trip!" Donna exclaimed.

  


*~*~*~*~*

  


Jackie hung up the phone with her friend and looked at her other friend who was sitting across from her. She began to twirl a piece of her curly locks around her finger. Victoria gave her a look. A look that said 'I know you're up to something.' 

  


" Don't look at me with that tone of voice." Jackie stipulated. 

  


" I'm just curious as to what sort of Jackie logic I'm dealing with here because the wheels are turning, and when that happens, God only knows what the consequences will be!" 

  


" Vicky, we've known each other for how long? Daycare? Therefore, how could I, Jackie Burkhardt, be cooking up some outlandish plan when innocence is my middle name?" 

  


" Right. When Jackie's pink and purpled wheels sprinkled with gold glitter start turning, the world should beware what is to come. Unicorns, Donny Osmond, rainbows, Calvin Klein and all things Jackie-like." 

  


" I've matured, Vic. My room no longer looks like a bottle of Pepto Bismal threw up, and further more, I haven't read Tiger Beat in months. The only reason why I know Donny Osmond puts whipped cream and raspberries on his waffles is because Heather told me at cheerleader practice. Plus, I threw out Fluffy Cakes." 

  


" How 'bout those new Calvin Klein jeans that just stocked the shelves? I hear they're the best yet!" 

  


" I wouldn't know. My jeans are Jordache." Jackie responded. 

  


" Figures. So, are the Wisconsin crew coming to Jersey?" 

  


" Donna said she'd call me and fill me in on the details, but yeah, they're coming if Red and Kitty give them a thumbs up." 

  


" Red and Kitty?" Victoria asked with a curious look. 

  


" Eric's Parents. His dad is real strict so we don't know for sure." 

  


" Sounds like we've got ourselves a major party!" 

  


" If my friends come, everything breakable or perhaps flammable needs to be put away for safe keeping." 

  


" Really?" she sounded surprised. 

  


" Michael Kelso almost burned down my house and broke half of my dad's tumbler collection if that gives you any indication." 

  


" Gotcha." she replied raising her eyebrows and giving her the Siskel and Ebert two thumbs up. 

  


*~*~*~*~*~*

  


" I think that's all of it." Eric replied putting in the last sleeping bag and closing the trunk of the Vista Cruiser. 

  


" This is gonna be the best trip ever, and when I get Jackie back, Hyde don't be jealous." Kelso exclaimed. 

  


Hyde frogged him in the arm once again. You would think he'd be ready for it by now?

  


" What did you do that for, Hyde?!" he cried rubbing the sore spot on his arm that would soon become a bruise. 

  


" You are still the King of the Idiots, Man." Hyde told him. 

  


" And my reign will be long and prosperous." he replied. 

  


" That's a bad thing, man." Fez piped in. 

  


Kelso scratched his head think as to why being the King of anything could be bad. 

  


" Long live the King." Donna said as everyone got the image of the smoke detector that was once in the basement. 

  


" Eric, now don't do anything stupid, and if you call me from jail, Western Union is not a possibility!" Red informed as he and Kitty came out to the driveway to wish the gang farewell. 

  


" Right, Dad." Eric agreed, fearing what might come if he didn't. 

  


" Red, I'm sure everything will be fine," Kitty assured rubbing Eric's mop of hair, but then began to cry, " my baby's going on his first long, road trip!" 

  


" Don't worry, Mom." Eric reassured. 

  


" Yeah, Mrs. F. everything will be just peachy." Hyde answered. 

  


" I'm ready to go to New Jersey. I wonder what the Yankee women look like?" Fez said drifting off into his reverie about bikinis. 

  


" Let's go you guys." Eric said as the five friends all piled up in the Vista Cruiser. 

  


" Jersey here we come!" Donna cried as they back out of the drive way and headed out of the neighborhood. 

  


*~*~*~*~*~*

  


Okay- This is the first chapter of my new story! I think I like it, and I hope you like it too! As you can see, the plot will ensue from this. Yes, Jackie has some crazy plan, Kelso still plans on getting Jackie back, Hyde's depressed and is pining, and a major party will take place! If you're wondering about the title of my story, it has nothing to do with the book or the movie. New Jersey is the Garden State so I decided to call it that simply because a lot of lies and secrets will be spread. I hope you like it. Please r/r! And as always . . . Peace Out! 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Come On, Baby, Light My Fire

The sun was rising steadily behind the clouds as rain pelted down on the streets. Merchants stayed in their homes instead of coming out to sell sunglasses, tie-dyed tee shirts, coffee mugs, and a variety of delicacies. The tourists bowed up in their condominiums rather than taking bus tours, shopping, or going to the beach. The only people outdoors were the surfers. Rain or shine, these beach bums were out catching the next big wave. The streets seemed to be deserted. 

  


Donna had talked to Jackie on a pay phone somewhere in West Virginia and informed her that they were on their way. After hours in the car with a needy, candy-loving foreigner, a scruffy burn out, a pretty, horny player, and a wiry, sarcastic fool whom she called her fiance, she thought she was going crazy. Sure, they were her friends, Best friends in fact, but somewhere along the line these five teens got on each other's nerves. And for Donna, that was a truck-stop, fourteen road sides, and twenty-three radio stations ago. Finally, they arrived in Sea Side Heights, and now, were trying to follow Jackie's directions she had dictated over the phone to the house. 

  


" Pass the bicycle shop and turn left at Sam's Fish Market." Eric read aloud to Hyde who was driving. 

  


" Now what?" he asked as they passed the market with a pink salmon on the sign. 

  


" Make a right at the fruit stand by the corner. The street is Lilac Avenue," Eric continued. 

  


" When you're on Lilac, the street will make a sharp curve. After the curve, they'll be a stop sign in front of a small movie theater. It's boarded up with advertisements, but make another right on Pacific Street. By then, you'll be on the ocean side. We're the fourth house down. It's Victorian with white columns. The mailbox will have the flag up. Hope you had a good trip. I love you guys. Love you lots, Jackie." 

  


The Vista Cruiser finally pulled up into the driveway of a beautiful white home with big columns. The flag on the mailbox was up as Jackie had directed. Inside, Jackie heard the familiar sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Simple Man' coming from the driveway. She automatically knew who it was, and ran outside swiftly with Vicky at her heels. 

  


" Donna!" she squealed, jumping into her best friend's arms.

  


" Jackie, this place is gorgeous!" the redhead exclaimed, escaping from her grasp. 

  


" Thanks. I'm Victoria Phillips. Call me Vicky." the blonde responded. 

  


" Hey, I'm Donna Pinciotti. Your house is incredible." 

  


" Thanks. It's nice to meet you. Nice to meet all of you." 

  


" Vic, this is . . . well you know Donna. This is her fiancé Eric Foreman, that's Michael; you can call him Kelso, and that's Fez. He's foreign so don't ask. And this is . . ." 

  


Her brown eyes locked with Hyde's big, blue ones. She was fortunate that he couldn't drive with his sunglasses due to the heavy rain and had them clipped to the neck of his shirt. Jackie was silently praying that she wasn't going to cry. She was in the midst of an emotional crisis, and who did she go to for support during a breakdown? Who else, but Steven Hyde? Normally, this would be the moment where she would wrap her arms around his neck for a bear hug, he would place his hands on her cheeks, kiss her, and tell her everything was going to be fine. Due to the tension, anger, hurt, and a somewhat unrequited love on Hyde's part, the others knew it wouldn't happen this time. He padded near her thin form, and like the television in the basement, never took his eyes off her. She tried to escape by backing away, but couldn't. 

  


" Is it just me or am I sensing some tension here?" Vicky asked slightly confused. 

  


" . . . . And this is . . . uh . . . Steven. Yeah, Steven. That's it." Jackie said still lost in Hyde's eyes. 

  


" Let's go inside, Jackie." Eric stipulated, dragging her away. 

  


The five followed them inside the huge coastal home. The ocean breeze was blowing, the sea gulls were squawking, and the waves made a soothing sound as they broke near the shore. This was the perfect vacation spot and an absolute wonderful place for the biggest beach party this town had ever saw and was about to be in the works. 

  


" This house screams par-tay!" Kelso exclaimed. 

  


" Kelso, do you remember what happened the last time you tried to throw a party?" Eric asked him. 

  


" How was I supposed to know that Brandy was flammable?" he exclaimed letting out his infamous squeal. 

  


" Brandy is still alcohol, man." Hyde added. 

  


" Your point being?" 

  


The six rolled their eyes. Eric grumbled something about why he was friends with him, and Jackie whined inwardly about her mother's long lost drapes that were burned up by Mrs. O'Leary's Cow. 

  


" Note to self, keep Kelso away from matches, lighters, and lighter fluid." Vicky muttered loudly so the rest could hear her. 

  


" That would be a smart thing to do, yes. Anyway, the party sounds like a good plan, and this looks like the perfect setting." Donna informed. 

  


" As long as nothing gets burned, I'm game," Victoria looked at her shorter friend, " How 'bout you Jackie?" 

  


" Sounds great. At any rate, let's hit the beach for now. We'll plan the party later on tonight at dinner." 

  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


Everything was perfection. The sun was shining, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the sea gulls called as the friends settled on the white sand. They had their sunglasses, plenty of tanning oil, lawn chairs, towels, and a cooler full of iced down beer. The guys were in a game of babe watching with a pair of binoculars as Jackie, Donna, and Vicky watched a volleyball game or more specifically the guys spiking the volleyball. 

  


" So, Jackie what exactly is this "brilliant" plan of yours?" the redhead asked her. 

  


" Oh contraire, a good magician never reveals her secrets." she replied lowering her shades to the tip of her nose and raising her eyebrows. 

  


" Don't look at me like that you're scaring me. Now," Donna looked over to the umbrella inhabited by their male friends and noticed Hyde looking at Jackie who had been doing it all afternoon, " Hyde has been looking at you all day. He wants you so go get him." 

  


" Are sure he's been looking at me and not my beautiful red bikini? It is the color of passion after all." Jackie asked eyeing her bright red bathing suit and tanned torso. 

  


" Oh no, don't be so modest. He's most definitely checking out the body inside the glorified underwear along with those guys playing volleyball and every man that walks down the beach." 

  


" I'm agreeing with Donna, Jackie. You are in fact the Playboy Centerfold of the Jersey shore." Victoria reported. 

  


The brunette squealed. 

  


" Good, my plan is working out just as I suspected." the brunette said sinking down into her chair as if in deep thought. 

  


Her two friends just gawked for they knew what could only come from Jackie's cheerleader brain. Something that would be inevitably bad. 

  


*~*~*~*~*~*

  


" Check it out!" Fez said, looking through the eyepiece. 

  


Kelso took them from him and stared at his ex sitting in the umbrella opposite of them sipping a beer. 

  


" She looks hot doesn't she. I miss her. I wish there was some way I could get her back." the boy hoped. 

  


" Too bad she was kissing Hyde last year instead of you huh, man." Eric joked. 

  


He gave his friends a frigid glare as they laughed at Eric's jab. Fez then took a couple a pieces of ice from their cooler. 

  


" Need some ice for that burn!" the foreigner exclaimed throwing the frozen chunks at him. 

  


Hyde pulled his nose up from his Rolling Stone article about the Steve Miller Band's new album and tour. 

  


Kelso, man, you've got about a snowball's chance in hell of getting Jackie back. No pun intended." Hyde replied, taking a sip of his beer. 

  


" Sorry you guys, but looks like neither of you have a very good chance with Jackie compared to what I'm seeing." Eric said pointing to the homemade volleyball court in the sand. 

  


Jackie was talking, giggling, and obviously flirting with the muscular athlete who seemed to be telling her a corny joke. Before they knew, she had given him an invite to dinner out on the town with the seven. She twirled her perfectly coifed curls with her pinky. The teen was drinking in every move the pixie made. He took his finger and lightly grazed her chin with his knuckle. Hyde's eyes were glazed over with jealousy. He knew that this guy wanted Jackie for one thing and one thing only. The thespian muttered something about picking her up at eight, and Jackie skipped off to her chair sitting shaded under the umbrella beside Donna and Victoria. 

  


" See, I told you I had a plan!" Jackie replied smugly letting her sunglasses once again fall to her perfectly constructed nose. 

  


" I have seen the light." Donna replied warily. 

  


She was concerned about how much damage her pint-sized friend could actually do. Exactly how much chaos can come from such a little body? Too much, the redhead thought to herself, way too much. 

  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


So? That was the second chapter. Let me know if you like it. Thank you for all your kind reviews. It gives me so much encouragement when you do so. In the next chapter, I plan to give you Kelso's never-ending charm, de-ja-vu of Dine and Dash, Fez's dating finesse, A cat fight, a call from home, Hyde's introduction to Jackie's volleyball, mystery man, and the reveal of Jackie's plan! Find out next time on . . . . Just read the damn thing! I'll see you next time. Same time, same bad channel. Peace Out! 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. So Darling, Save the Last Dance For Me

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest one of all? This was the phrase she asked her reflection every morning before her vanity, " You Jackie. You are the most beautiful girl in all the whole world." her reflection would say. Now, as she combed her hair in front of the mirror. She didn't think she was so incredibly beautiful because the guy she loved more than anything else took her heart away and then her heart ran with it. 

  


" Jackie," Donna, who was already dressed to the nines, called walking into the pastel colored bedroom, " we are going to be so late if you don't stop playing Marsha Brady with your hair! One-hundred strokes create split ends, Jackie. Now, will you come down stairs?" 

  


" Just a minute. Is Clark here yet?" she asked referring to her volleyball player date. 

  


" Unfortunately. He's down there trying to play Mr. Nice Guy with Kelso and Hyde. Kelso already hates him, Fez asked him if you guys had slept together, Eric's laughing like a freaking Hyena, and Hyde's playing the Zen card. You know, 'That's Cool' and 'Whatever'. He's obviously pissed and jealous." Donna replied smugly. 

  


" Good. I hope he's suffering! Let's go." 

  


Jackie grabbed her bag, wisped her hair to one side, and padded down the carpeted stairway. 

  


*~*~*~*~*

  


" You're from Wisconsin too, huh?" Clark asked uncomfortable. He could tell from the moment he walked in that he obviously wasn't welcome by any means. 

  


" It's God's country. Long live the cheese heads!" Eric exclaimed sarcastically. 

  


" Why did I become friends with these people?" Vicky asked herself shaking her head. 

  


" Because you love us and our dairy products?" Kelso asked. 

  


" At least we're not Canadians." Hyde replied gruffly. 

  


" That is true." Fez agreed. 

  


" Where did you say you were from?" Clark asked him. 

  


Fez then went over to him and whispered something in his ear. 

  


" O-kay," the buff athlete replied, " I think we'll just say you're from Wisconsin." 

  


" Say who's from Wisconsin?" Jackie asked perkily as she and Donna walked down the stairs. 

  


" Jackie, you look beautiful!" Clark exclaimed, kissing her hand. 

" Oh, so do you." she answered with her face blushing with crimson. 

  


" I think I'm gonna hurl." Hyde muttered. 

  


Eric gave him a glare and smacked him on the shoulder. His friend gave him a warning of danger with his infamous stare as if to say "Remember what happened the last time you hit me?" 

  


*~*~*~*~*~*

  


The eight sat at a rounded booth at the back of the restaurant. It was more like a club than just a place to eat. It looked like the setting of Saturday Night Fever. The dance floor and walls were adorned with multicolored lights. The bar looked like something from a John Wayne movie with an antique-looking mirror, an array of large bottles filled to the brim with hard liquor, and a guy with a crooked mustache serving drinks as fast as he could make them. Dry. On the rocks. Two olives. An onion. With a twist. Make that a double. So many different ways to drink so many different kinds. Martini. Margarita. Bloody Mary. Screwdriver. Roman Coke. Long Island Ice Tea. Tequila Sunrise. Mudslide. Bahama Mama. Sex on the Beach. Amaretto Sours. Sweet Vermouth. Too many drinks, too little time. 

  


" Once I was afraid. I was petrified. Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side. How I spent so many nights just thinking how you did me wrong! But I grew strong, and I learned how to get along! Now, you're back from outer space. You just walked in with that sad look upon your face! I should have changed that stupid lock. I should've made you leave your key if I'd have known for just one second you'd be back to bother me. Now, go on. Go! Walk out the door. Just turn around now you're not welcome anymore! Weren't you the one that tried to hurt me with your lies? Did you think I'd crumble? Think I'd lay down and die! Oh no not I! I will survive!" Jackie, Donna, and Victoria sang with the familiar music. It was corny. They knew, but couldn't help it. There was just something about that song that made it so addictive!

  


" Man, I hate that song! Better yet, I hate everything disco!" Kelso whined as he watched his female friends giggle over the dance tune. 

  


" I think that is the smartest thing I have ever heard you say, Man! Kudos to that!" Hyde replied. 

  


" We don't want to hear about your Government conspiracies on Disco music, Hyde!" Donna stipulated. 

  


" Man, I swear to you! Disco is from hell, and not the cool part with all the felons, but the really lame-ass part where all the accountants live!" He repeated as he had a million times. 

  


His faithful friends rolled their eyes. They weren't sure which they had heard more. Hyde's conspiracies on Disco, his rambles about the Government being tied with the Anti-Christ, or about his car that runs on water. 

  


" My dad's an accountant." Clark informed, highbrowed. 

  


" Well your dad is really lame-ass." he uttered nonchalantly. 

  


" Steven, be nice." Jackie demanded. 

  


" I don't do nice. You of all people should know that. Besides, you show up here with Mr Barbell, flaunt him in my face, and you want me to be nice? Get real, Jacks!" 

  


" I should have known you'd be jealous. Always have been. You were jealous of Michael. Why should I think any differently of a sleazy, dirty, hippie wannabe cheater?" Jackie rambled. It was her oldest threat. A cheater was a cheater in her book. The only guys she ever dated or went out with either cheated or wanted nothing but sex. 

  


" That is so like you to never blame yourself! The only reason is because I wanted to get back at you for going back on your word! You promised me, Jackie. I can't help but get jealous if the only girl I have ever felt anything for in my entire lifetime is sneaking around behind my back with her ex-boyfriend when earlier that day she practically swore on the Bible that she wouldn't. So don't start feeding me your analytical, cheerleader, psycho babble because I don't wanna hear it!" His voice began to rise as his anger grew. 

  


" Steven Hyde, that's crap, and you know it! Once a cheater, always a cheater! You're just like Michael. Always finding ways for it to be my fault that men just can't take their ball and chain like a true man. They just want a screw partner on the side! Ahem, Laurie!" she bolted. 

  


They were standing up now. It was just like watching a debate on Rush Limbaugh or Donahue. The four who knew all too well why they were arguing knew it would play out eventually. Hyde would drive back to the house, sulk in his room for awhile, and listen to old Hank Williams records. Jackie would shine through, continue out the evening, and finally when she got home later that night, she would feel guilty and apologize. However, he would get mad again, and the dance they did around each other would be a waltz instead of the tango. Clark just sat there embarrassed and completely confused. 

  


" Let's not bring me into this!" Kelso stipulated after his ex's Laurie comment. 

  


" Shut-up, Kelso!" they both yelled at the exact same time. 

  


Just before Jackie called out, " Jinx, you owe me a soda." A hot blonde moseyed to their table with a Farrah Fawcett hairdo, platform shoes, white bellbottoms, and a shirt that showed more cleavage than arm, and this girl was batting her eyelashes and totally toying with Hyde. He noticed the vixen eyeing him and thought, " Two can play this game."

  


" I saw you over here. You looked kind of tense with an empty beer bottle. Thought I would bring you a new one." the coquette replied. 

  


" Thanks." he answered, grabbing the beer from her hand, removing the cap with his teeth, and continued to spit it out on the floor, and then taking a long chug. 

  


" That's really sexy. Maybe you can teach me to do that . . . I didn't get your name." 

  


" Steven, but you can call me Hyde." 

  


" Hyde," she said his name to herself, " I like that. You don't really sound like a Steven. Anyway, I'm Caroline, but you can call me Cara." 

  


" I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. Wanna dance?" 

  


" Sure, but only if you buy my next beverage. I did it for you. And for future reference, Vodka and cranberry juice on the rocks." 

  


" Duly noted. I'm warning you ahead of time; I'm pretty light on my feet." 

  


" Nice to know, Jimmy Stewart. Can I be your Ginger Rodgers?" She asked, letting him take her hand. 

  


" Why not? You only live once, right Ginger?" 

  


With that, Hyde guided her to the dance floor. His friends just growled, and Jackie gnashed her teeth and clenched her fists. She was hot as hell. They watched him gracefully spin her around to the Doobie Brother's "Long Train Runnin'." 

  


" Clark, you wanna dance?" Jackie asked quickly, turning her head from Hyde and his dumb blonde. 

  


" Sure unless of course you'd rather dance with Hyde." Clark inquired. 

  


" The man catches on quick." Eric dead panned. 

  


His fiancé glared at him. Then, Victoria looked at Jackie then to Clark and then to Hyde on the dance floor clearly knowing what Jackie wanted her to do. 

  


" I would love to dance with you." Jackie replied with a smug grin. 

  


Clark took her hand and guided her to the dance floor. As the two whirled, Jackie noticed Vicky approaching the dancing couple opposite them. 

  


" May I cut in?" Vicky asked Hyde tapping his shoulder lightly with her index finger. 

  


" Sure." he answered enthusiastically, swivelling around to her view. 

  


" Hey, get your own guy!" Cara exclaimed. 

  


" Listen, Barbie! He's my friend. He's staying at my house. You've known him for what? Ten minutes? I think it would be safe to say that if I wanted to dance with him, there would be no objections. Right, Hyde?" 

  


" Right." he answered. 

  


Hyde then padded over to the bar grabbing a napkin and a pencil. He wrote their beach house number upon it. Giving her the number, he kissed her on the cheek. 

  


" Call me or I won't be able to get you that drink next time." 

  


" You can count on it! See ya." Cara called as he and Vicky walked out to the dance floor once again. 

  


" Thanks," Vicky praised, wrapping her arms around his neck for a slow dance to "Stairway to Heaven," " you have no idea how much this means to me." 

  


" Huh?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. 

  


" Never mind." 

  


Victoria just laid her head on his shoulder and looked over at Jackie. She smiled knowing what her friend had done for her. 

  


" Thank you." Jackie mouthed across the floor. 

  


Victoria just winked at her.

  


*~*~*~*~*~*

  


This is chapter 3! Sorry it took me so long to update, but real life got in the way. I hope you like it just as much as you did the other two. The next chapter is gonna be the planning of their party, and I'm estimating that chapters 5 and six are going to be the party. In other words, the climax! Anyway, only 48 more hours give or take a few until the season premiere! Yes, I am counting hours so what's it to ya? Thanks for all you kind reviews! I expect them now! Please R/R. Peace Out. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Have You Ever Seen the Rain?

After a sleep-over at Camp Naughty, Bad Fun, the gang retired to the house and was sure to wake up with major hangovers the next morning. Out of all the times Eric, Kelso, Donna, Fez, and Jackie had seen Hyde drunk, this was, they estimated, the worst! He even passed out. Donna was sure that this was definitely one of the four horses of the apocalypse. 

  


" Donna, I have to talk to you!" Jackie cried, holding her head from the pain. 

  


" Go away, Jackie." Donna slurred; Still, slightly inebriated. 

  


" Could you possibly pull yourself out of Catatonia for just a second and listen to me?" The brunette exclaimed, snapping a finger in her friend's face to capture her full attention. 

  


" Whatever. Let me just get a cup of coffee in my possession first," The redhead pleaded before getting out of bed, leaving her drooling fiancé to his erotic dream he was obviously having with what seemed to be his pillow, "Look at that idiot. In his subconscious, that pillow, he's making out with, had better be me!" 

  


Jackie giggled as the two friends walked down the stairwell. Donna padded into the kitchen, and soon had a pot of coffee brewing before returning to the sofa to sit down by Jackie. 

  


" What is it now you kook?" The taller girl asked. 

  


" My plan isn't working! Steven doesn't love me anymore!" Jackie exclaimed, doing some wild hand movements that Donna suspected she stole from Eric. 

  


" Yes, he does! The idiot is just making up for lost time." She explained, rolling her eyes at the tiny brunette's melodramatic display. 

  


" What is that supposed to mean?" Jackie asked, hugging her stuffed unicorn tighter. No matter how much she loved Hyde or how long she dated him, Jackie was still Jackie. And the true Jackie loved Fluffy Cakes almost as much as she loved her hair and that Zeppelin-loving burn out. 

  


" It means that Hyde is trying to recover. All that time Hyde spent with you changed him. Hyde let out emotions that I nor he knew he had!" 

  


Jackie sat with a sad look on her face making her seem lost in thought. Jackie had an epiphany; Hyde was trying to return to his Zen roots. He wanted everyone to think he was still same, old Hyde. That he was Zen Hyde, love 'em and leave 'em Hyde, the Hyde that despised her. 

  


" I'm getting back together with Michael." Jackie said flatly, bowing her head in self-defeat. 

  


" What?" The red-head exclaimed, watching whatever relationship her friend had with Hyde go up in flames. However, this time it was nobody's fault but Jackie's. 

  


*~*~*~*~*~*

  


" What? I don't get it." Victoria replied to her six friends who her now all sitting in the living room. 

  


" I 'll explain this one more time," Eric established, lifting a finger histrionically, " Saturday night we'll have a party on the deck. Hyde, who's a tiny bit older than us and looks the part due to his lovely beard and sideburns, . . ."

  


Hyde grinned, shaking his head smugly at his best friends so-so comment. 

  


" Anyway," he continued, rolling his eyes, " Hyde will buy the liquor while Kelso waits in the car to help him carry it out. If questions are asked, Kelso is Hyde's younger but taller, basketball playing brother." 

  


Kelso gawked, making his infamous girly squeal, " Wait a minute! I'm six months older than Hyde!" 

  


" But you look six years younger than me, Duffus! Now, continue the plan, Forman." Hyde ordered, whopping Kelso in the back of the head with his palm. 

  


" Thank you, Hyde. At this time, I will be picking up the food in Jackie's car because we know that none of us sitting here can cook. While this is going on, Fez and the girls will be decorating. No paper streamers or balloons, please." 

  


" Eric, please, most of us are seventeen not twelve. We're going to be drunk out of our minds not playing Twister or Pin the Tail on the Donkey!" Donna exclaimed, annoyed at her boyfriend's often immaturity. 

  


" Amen to that!" Jackie agreed. 

  


" Jackie, I don't think you'll be getting any alcohol considering you are twelve, right? I mean, if you did, we'd have to call your daddy in prison!" 

  


With tears welling up in her eyes, the tiny pixie sped up the stairs. It was Eric and Jackie's thing to burn each other simultaneously, but he had gone way too far this time. 

  


" You're such an ass!" His betrothed fired at him. 

  


" Yeah, Forman. Great Job." Hyde countered, following his ex's path up the stairs to find her. 

  


" Wait, Mr. Burkhart's in prison?" Kelso and Vicky asked at the very same time. 

  


" Wait, we don't get to play Pin the Tail on the Donkey?" Fez asked as the whole room got quiet, waiting for the chaos to soon irrupt. 

  


*~*~*~*~*~*

  


I realize that was very short, but I haven't had any time whatsoever to spend on my writing this past week at all! I mean absolutely none! Stay tuned because I hope you read this chapter very closely because if you didn't you just might miss something. I hope you like this one as much as the last. Please r/r! Also, this story is getting a little bit harder to write considering Wednesday night's epp. I don't think anyone is as happy about the result's as me! Again, r/r, and Peace Out! 

  
  
  



	5. Witchy Woman

" I learned the truth at seventeen that love was made for beauty queens, and high school girls with clear skinned smiles who'll marry young and then retire." Janice Ian sang depressingly as Jackie Burkhart, the most vain of all the beauty queens, cried her eyes out because some wimpy, sarcastic moron pissed her off. She had never let anyone get to her like this. Eric was right thought; She was immature. Her father was in prison. She just needed to face the music, but the only person who could help bring her out of Jackieland didn't want her around anymore. 

  


" Jackie, would you listen to me?" Hyde cried from outside the bedroom door, knocking slightly in a rhythmic pattern. 

  


" No! The best thing for you to do is to leave me alone!" Jackie exclaimed with her face still engulfed with the pink pillowcase that was now soaked from her tears. 

  


" Forman was the one who said it not me! If it makes you feel any better, Donna is down there telling him what a jerk he is, and if you're lucky, he'll be sleeping outside tonight with Buddy the homeless guy on the bench by the hotdog stand on the beach." He joked, clipping his infamous shades to the neck of his tee shirt. 

  


She giggled, slightly snorting from her nose being stopped up from crying so hard. Hyde was harsh most of the time, but deep down, he was a nice guy who would kill for his friends especially her. 

  


" Come in, but don't look at me cause my eye make-up is running." She replied. 

  


He rolled his eyes at her shallow euphemism. Never would Jackie Burkhart let anyone see her looking badly. 

  


" Jacks, why do you let people do this to you? You survive your mother leaving, your father going to jail, and only God knows what else. Now, Forman makes some sarcastic comment as usual, and you go postal. No matter what people say, you are a strong person. You are all women. Let them hear you roar." He told her, sitting on the bed and draping his arm around her back. 

  


" Steven, do you know why I was able to handle all that? Because I was with you. You made me strong. Now, I can't handle things as easily. I can handle them better, but not like before. But you know what I can't handle? Us. I guess I'm chickening out, but I need a safety line. You're not it." Jackie explained, removing the stray curl from his eyes. 

  


" What are you trying to say, Jackie? That I'm not good enough for you?" He asked, bitterly. 

  


" No, I'm not good enough for you." 

  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


" You sorry little dillhole!" Donna Pinciotti exclaimed, wagging her finger in Eric's face. 

  


" What did I say?" Eric asked, with his voice cracking letting out his naturally squeaky voice. Donna had a tendency to bring out his mousy side. She was like Darth Vadar to his Princess Leia, or that's what he said at least. 

  


" You totally burned Jackie, man!" Kelso added, not even attempting to resist his propensity to laugh at a good burn even if it burned himself. 

  


" Yeah, Eric. I thought you and Jackie were friends. Just because she's a year younger than all of us doesn't mean she's not apart of the gang." Victoria replied. 

  


" Jackie and I insult each other. That's what we do. We've done it this way for years. I wasn't trying to hurt her. Just like Kelso can't resist laughing at one, I can't resist giving a good burn." 

  


" Eric," Fez beckoned, " I'm not very good with American customs, but Ai, you said a bad thing!" 

  


" But, Fez . . ." 

  


" I said you were bad, Eric!" Fez answered infamously, holding up his palm at Eric's response. 

  


The gang began to laugh at Fez's renowned burn. Instead of threatening bodily damage like Hyde, Fez could show them the hand and shut them up in two seconds flat. Before anyone could say another word, Hyde had drug Jackie from her pouting corner and marched, hand in hand, down the stairs. 

  


" Man, I was just gonna go upstairs and see if I could comfort you!" Kelso whined with his notorious bratty screech. 

  


" You honestly thought she was going to give you pity sex, Kelso? Dream on, buddy." Victoria chastened, rolling her eyes at his immaturity. 

  


" Thanks, Vic." Jackie commended with her usual perky grin. 

  


" What are friends for?" 

  


Donna pinched Eric in the back. While silently crying out in pain, he knew what he had to do. 

  


" Sorry, Jackie. You know we're friends, right? No hard feelings?" 

  


" Of course not, Eric. I overreacted. I just need to realize what's done is done. I can't dwell on the past. Thank you for helping me understand a little better." 

  


" I just say we need to forget all harshness because we've got a party to plan!" Hyde added, never forgetting the keg he would become best friends in less than twenty-four hours. 

  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


Nightfall fell fairly quickly on the warm, Saturday evening. Just as Eric had directed, he was off picking up shrimp cocktail and barbeque chips, Fez and the girls were back at the house rearranging furniture, setting out napkins, glassware, and wrapping Christmas lights around the peer two by fours', and Hyde and Kelso were at one of the local dives buying cheap liquor because, of course, Hyde knew a guy who knew a guy. 

  


" How exactly does your guy know this guy in New Jersey? Wait a minute, how the hell do you know a guy in Jersey?" Kelso inquired, trying to put all the pieces together from his friend's prior explanation. 

  


" I don't you pinhead! He's a friend of my Dad." 

  


" Wait, is Bud's friend the guy you know, or is Bud's friend the guy your friend knows?" He wondered out loud. 

  


" You're a dumbass; Do you know that?" Hyde insulted. 

  


" Thanks, Red!" He yelled melodramatically. 

  


" You're welcome, Dumbass!" Hyde repeated. 

  


The two friends walked into the rundown bar, and the older man, wiping the counter with a torn rag that looked like it used to be wife-beater, recognized Hyde almost immediately, and a nostalgic gleam appeared in the aging man's eyes. 

  


" Well, would you lookee here!" the man said in his best Northern-speak, but he couldn't help but his obvious, Southern drawl dot each word. 

  


" I'm sorry. Do I know you?" Hyde asked as he self-consciously watched the stranger eye his manly features. 

  


" Of course, you do! I'd know you anywhere, son. You're Bud Hyde's boy! The resemblance is uncanny!" 

  


" Oh God." Hyde muttered causing his friend to giggle girlishly. 

  


" Don't take the Lord's name in vain, Steven. It's Steven, right?" 

  


" Yeah, Call me Hyde." He warned as Kelso began to remember the time he had called Hyde Steven, and how it took him half an hour to figure out how to remove himself from the school trash bin.

  


" I knew you were Bud's boy! Who's your friend?" 

" Michael Kelso, sir," He interrupted, " The love doctor. I can tell you everything you ever needed to know about chicks. Here's my card." 

  


Hyde rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses and crossed his arms smugly. 

  


" Keep your card, Michael. I have a lovely wife of forty-one years with grown children and grandchildren. My wife would wait at the door with a frying pan, a suitcase, and divorce papers if she knew I took that from you." 

  


" And you work in a bar?" Hyde asked. 

  


" I own this bar actually. If you're wondering, I'm Richard Banks and a very good friend of your father's. We worked together in Dubuque for years. I knew you when you were barely in grade school. You ran around with that . . . what was his name . . . Forman! That's it. You ran around with that Forman kid, and that kid who never wore pants. What was his name?" Mr. Banks asked mostly to himself before drifting off into thought. 

  


Hyde chuckled, and Kelso bowed his head in embarrassment before lifting his finger in response. 

  


" That would be I, sir. The kid with no pants was me, Mr. Banks." He replied shamefully. 

  


" Sorry for the painful memories, boys. What can I do for you?" 

  


" Well, my dad once told me that if I was ever in Jersey and needed liquor that this would be the place to go." 

  


" Right you are. Specifically what kinds are you looking for?" 

  


" We've got a keg and a tap. So, maybe a couple of bottles of Tequila, Vodka, Brandy, Rum, etc. You know, the hard stuff. Then, we'll move to mixes like Bloody Mary mix, stuff for Marguerites, Martinis, a couple bottles of wine, Bourbon, Sherry, and the trivial stuff like toothpicks, olives, onions, celery, cherries, and things of that nature." 

  


" Somebody is gonna be doing some fast drinking!" 

  


" We're throwing a party!" 

  


" Just the two of you?" The elder man asked them. 

  


" No way! Our five friends are back at our vacation house getting ready. You can come by if you want as long as you bring five people with you. Preferably five female friends to play with!" Kelso answered, grinning like the Cheshire cat. 

  


" Nah, I gotta stick around until one tonight, but where do you want me to put all that liquor?" 

  


Hyde and Kelso just grinned. 

  


*~*~*~*~*~*

  


" On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair. One smell of Colitas rising up through the air. Up ahead in the distance, saw a shimmering light. It grew heavy, and my sight grew dim. I had to stop for the night. Then, she stood in the doorway. I heard the mission bell. I was thinking to myself, 'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell.' Then, she lit up a candle. She showed me the way. I heard voices down the corridor. I thought I heard them say, 'Welcome to the Hotel California. Such a lovely place. Such a lovely face. There's plenty of room at the Hotel California. Any time of year, you can find it here.'" Don Henley sang with the smooth back-up of his band mates, the Eagles. The resounding notes of Hotel California filled the room as the sun-kissed blonde natives piled into the beach house and its patio. As far as the eye could see, surfers, punks, Geeks, tokers, members of the Donny Osmond fan club, and those that the Green Packers' would've killed for lined the peripheral walls of the kitchen awaiting the first tapping of the large keg. At the commemoration for a yacht, a rich, toothy ex-cheerleader breaks a bottle of wine and cuts the infamous red ribbon. At a party, some grungy teen fresh from his or her dealer's apartment taps the keg. This time, that special grungy teen was none other than Steven Hyde. It was too bad that Leo wasn't there. 

  


" Let the party begin!" He yelled setting free his hand of the pump, releasing thousands of pounds of pressure. 

  


" Man, we sure know how to throw a damn good party!" Eric replied, as the seven friends lifted their cups of beer for a friendly toast before gulping down its foamy contents. 

  


" Jackie!" An unfortunate familiar face called, walking into the kitchen. 

  


" Clark!" The tiny pixie yelled, waving wildly in his direction. 

  


" Some party!" He exclaimed over the immense crowd and screeching guitar solo coming from the corner record player. 

  


" Thanks! You wanna drink?" 

  


" Sure! Long Island ice tea?" 

  


" Great," Jackie turned to Fez who had manned the homemade bar, " Fez, can you fix Clark an ice tea?" 

  


" One nip or two?" He asked in his sizable foreign accent. 

  


Clark shot him two fingers ordering a double and wrapped his other arm around Jackie's tiny shoulders. 

  


" I'm sorry I haven't called. How did you know about the party?" She inquired, letting the wheels inside her head begin to turn.

  


" Oh, I saw Fez and Donna in town, and they told me about it. Speaking of, where is Donna? 

  


" Probably off somewhere with Eric looking for the nearest couch. The only reason Fez offered to play bartender is to ward the five-gallon bowl of candy from any outsiders trying to steal the Pop Rocks!" Jackie replied giggling hysterically. 

  


" Where's Kelso and Hyde?" Clark enquired, grabbing the ice tea from Fez and ushering Jackie off into the crowd.

  


" I have no earthly idea where Steven is. Michael looks like he's having a splendid time though." 

  


The two looked over to the homemade dance floor in the living room and noticed Kelso drooling over a Miss August look-a-like in spiked heels. Leave it to Michael to find the first easy wench to walk in the door, Jackie thought as she rolled her eyes at the spectacle. She scanned the bunch once again, finding something she didn't really want to see: Hyde and his club whore, Cara. 

  


She marched over to Victoria who, out of the corner of her eye, she had spotted, chewing on a celery stalk that had been generously dipped in Vicky's Bloody Mary while chatting with an imbecilic jock who obviously had more brawn than brains. 

  


" Why did you do that? He was cute!" She squealed. 

  


" He was a dumbass! Now, pay attention. Look!" The brunette harshly pointed her perfectly manicured nail at the two people leaning up against the wall on the stairs. 

  


" Poor, Hyde." Vicky muttered, lowering her head at the debacle. 

  


" Poor, Hyde! Poor, Hyde! What about poor Jackie? Wait a minute. I'm not poor! Steven's poor, but he really is gonna be wallowing in self-pity when I get my hands on him!" She yelled. 

  


The brunette squirmed in her friend's arms as Victoria held her back from parading up the staircase and sticking the nearest sharp object in Hyde's baby, blue eyes, glasses or no glasses. 

  


" Let me go you Amazon!" 

  


" What happened?" Donna exclaimed, hearing Jackie call someone an Amazon besides her. 

  


" I think I know." Eric, who had been following at Donna's heels, countered. 

  


Vicky covered Jackie's mouth with her hand as she spoke, " Hyde's with Cara, and Sandra Dee over here can't stand it!" 

  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


Whew! *wipes perspiration from brow* That took a lot out of me. I hope it made up for the really, really short chapter the last one was. I'm guessing seven and a quarter pages in Word Perfect is better than two and a half, huh? I hope you like it. I'll probably finish out the party in the next chapter. I know this one was a filler and seemed a little confusing. It'll all be exclaimed in the next chapter. Girl Scouts Honor. *holds up that funny salute with three fingers* As always, R/R. Please? Pretty please? I'll love you forever! Peace Out! 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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